S2000 was one of my son's many daily drivers. His, sold only a year ago, was 53 plate and rust was evident in various places not least the underside. They have a habit of breaking the drop links on the anti-roll bars and they are an absolute pig to undo due to corrosion. His, not a bad example, had bubbles of rust over the rear arches and that didn't look too bad at first sight. It cost a body shop a lot to remedy because they quoted about £500 and had to have it back when the rust burst through again less than a week after it came back from them. They had to cut it right back to sound metal and form new wheel arch parts. Compared with a Z3 the only advantage is that terrific engine and gearbox. Otherwise they are noisy and crude with little refinement such as cruise, and heated seats, etc. They have an electric hood but the hood itself wears out quicker than a Z3. There's not even a gas strut on the bonnet for God's sake!
The timing chain tensioners are notorious for failing, and the rear hubs come loose leading to an annoying crack when you take up the drive after reversing. Also the cups in the CVJs fail on the driveshafts. On hot days they have 'heat-soak' and the engine hesitates making the car 'kangaroo' as you pull away. They are excitingly fast, very nice looking, weedy below 5k RPM, and beautiful to look at. Insurance is steep too. Oh and they burn oil even faster than a six pot M54 engine. Carry a gallon can of oil. Read the members' forum for a while before committing because they are still quite expensive. He sold his and bought an Audi RS4 Avant - an order of magnitude more expensive to fix! Glutton for punishment, my son.
